I Can't Hear Your Screams Anymore
by Serethiel96
Summary: I'm so sorry for this. I know you must be screaming for me now. Just know this… I'll be at peace now. I've just saved your world for about the billionth time now. I know you must be screaming for me now, but you're safe now. Warning: Spoilers! New Chapter
1. Inside the Doctor's Mind

_**I Can't Hear Your Screams Anymore**_

**HI! So I was watching The Impossible Astronaut for about the hundredth time the other night, and I just wondered what the Doctor was thinking as he walked towards that Astronaut that was going to kill him. He seemed to know what was going on so as every other good fangirl would do, I wrote a FanFic about it! I'm not used to writing really depressing stuff and I hope to have more fluffy stuff later! (This will mainly be TenxRose stuff.) Anyways, I'm going to stop rambling on now and let you read. I hope you enjoy my take on the Doctor's death scene. Oh and the title for this story came from a verse of an Evanescence song called "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You." Warning: SPOILERS!**

From the moment Amy forgot what she was looking at, I knew my time had come. From the very second the words, "Who's that?" passed her lips, an overwhelming feeling of dread gripped my two hearts and my breath slowly caught in my throat. I absolutely refused to turn around and look where Amy's gaze was pointed; I would have forgotten what I would see anyways so what was the point? I breathed out slowly and looked at my ginger companion with faintly quizzical eyes, but remained silent. I tried to concentrate on the bitter taste the wine had left in my mouth, however horrid it may be.

"Hmmmm? Who's who?" Rory asked his wife, gazing up at her from his position on the ground.

Amy hadn't looked away from the thing but turned to Rory when she heard his voice. I remember watching the memory leave her face, like I knew it would. "Sorry, what?" Amy asked, taking a sip of her wine from her glass.

"What did you see? You said you saw someone."

"No I didn't." Amy placed her glass down onto the blanket and started to look at her husband like he had lost his marbles.

I quickly averted the subject of Amy's sanity and turned the conversation to the first thing I could think of. "Ahhhhh, the moon. Look at it!" I did not mean to say that. I did not mean to say that at all. Of all the things that could have come out of my mouth, the topic of the moon just blurted out. I quickly decided to just roll with it and he words just slipped off my tongue. "Of course you lot did a lot more than look didn't you; big silvery thing in the sky, you couldn't resist it. Quite right, hmmm?"

"The moon landing was in '69." Rory piped up. "Is that where we're going?"

Oh how I wished it could have been that simple. If it were that easy, I wouldn't have to leave my lot with heartache and the sour pang of loss. If it were that simple, I wouldn't be feeling the gut wrenching pang of guilt, knowing that Amy would be dying inside because of her grief. Oh no, if it were that simple… well… I wouldn't have to die. My death was approaching; there was no doubt about it. I tried to stay relaxed by being around the people I cared most about but I knew it would only hurt them in the long run. I want to stay and be there and protect them. I don't want to die.

I stare straight ahead and let no emotion through my eyes or my voice. I've tried to sound as emotionless as a Dalek, but that was just a load of rubbish. "A lot more happens in '69 then anyone remembers. Human beings…" I allow a faint smile to trace my lips. I let my gaze wonder and I end up staring at a random place on the blanket we're all on. "I thought I'd never get done saving you."

From the corner of my eye, I see the corner of Amy's mouth twist up into a faint smile as she looks at me. I don't want to hurt her. I don't want her to be upset. I wish I could tell her that I'd be okay, but I just can't. As River would say, that would contain too many "spoilers" and the laws of the universe seem to go against it.

The sound of tires running on sand grabs my attention and I slowly stand to my feet. Reality has finally caught up with me. '_Oh God, not yet. Please not yet!' _my mind pleads. I see Amy, Rory, and River all have questioning looks on their faces as they watch the mysterious driver get out of his black pick-up truck and stand beside it. I stand from my position on the ground and raise a hand to wave at the man. He waves back. _"Did he bring what I asked him to?"_ I wonder. _"If things don't go well, I could be putting my friends into danger beyond imaginable. I haven't seen him in years… Can he still be trusted? Wow… somebody's gotten old… Canton please don't let me down. Please…"_ I let my hand drop lifelessly to my side as I feel the oh too familiar sting of fear claw at me. It feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and for once, I actually feel my age. My body is weak and I know the clock is ticking. The disgusting wine bottle is still in my grasp.

"Who's he?" Amy's voice is purely curious as she looks at the man.

"Oh my God…" River's shocked voice comes from beside me as I slowly turn. Amy and Rory hop up from the ground to look at what we see.

There's a Spaceman in the water. I can hear its breathing all the way to where we're standing. "You all need to stay back." I command to my companions as begin to step away. "Whatever happens now, you do not interfere." I'm doing a good job keeping my voice from breaking even though my hearts are about to jump out of my chest. I turn to my companions, knowing this is one of the last time's I'll ever see them up close. Amy has moved and is standing closer to me, a look of pure confusion and fear in her face. She meets my eyes and I can tell she can see the small tears forming. "Clear?" I turn my back on my companions for the last time. I feel as though I can barely walk. Step after step I drag on, growing closer and closer to my doom.

The time is takes me to get to the Spaceman seems like an eternity and I take that eternity to engrave my friends into my mind. I first think of Rory. Rory Williams, the boy who waited. 2,000 years to be exact. I don't know him as well as I should, but I liked him because of the way he treated Amy. He loved her with every fiber of his being and was never afraid to let her know that. He would take a bullet for her in a heartbeat. I know they'll be happy together.

Next comes River. Doctor River Song… So many questions bubble around in my brain. She knows my future and we're supposed have had so many great adventures together. I guess that dream is shattered. Time never works like it should. I like River, I really do, but to what extent? Do I really love her? I guess I'll never figure that out now, seeing as I'm walking to my doom.

Last and certainly not least, I think of Amy. The girl who didn't make any sense. My wonderfully impossible and mad Amelia Pond; the girl who waited all night for me to return. She sat in that bloody garden all night, waiting for her Raggedy Doctor to come back for her and whisk her away on some completely insane yet magical adventure. He said five minutes. She waited twelve years before she saw him again. Or as Amy said, "12 years and four psychiatrists!" When I had asked why she needed so many psychiatrists, she replied, "I kept biting them..." When I had asked why she bit them, she simply said, "They said you weren't real." She kept biting them because they ceased to believe I existed. I felt a small smile curve across my lips and the Astronaut in front of me became blurry from newborn tears. An image of little Pond clamping her teeth on a grown man's arm on my behalf came into my mind. Honestly, I knew I loved her, but I loved her more along the lines of a sister and a best friend. Like all my past companions, Amy had engraved a special place in one of my two hearts.

"Goodbye, sweet Pond," I whispered to no one. I felt five pairs of eyes burying into my flesh; Amy's, Rory's, River's, Canton's, and the Astronaut's eyes all stared me down and I felt my hearts thudding against my chest. My mind was screaming at me. _"Forget it! Leave! Run you bloody idiot! RUN!" _No… I've been running long enough now. I'm done running. I'm done running from the consequences that my actions have caused. I'm done running from the pain and suffering that's happened because of me. I'm done with cheating death and having innocent people die on my behalf. It's time to stop. Finally… I'm ready to stop. Death is knocking on my door and this time, I'm answering.

I stood in front of the newcomer from the water and calmly spoke aloud. "Hello. It's okay, I know it's you." A gloved hand reached up and pulled back the dark mask that hid the identity of the Astronaut. I came face to face with a pair of eyes I thought I would never see again. "Well then…" I murmured, taking the situation in. I take a breath. "You know what I'm going to ask you." I paused to swallow the growing lump in my throat. With a shaking breath, I look directly into the eyes of the Astronaut and say, "Kill me. It's the only way to save them. Please." I let my hands dangle at my sides and hang my head. I shift my gaze from my duty-bound executioner to the sand at my feet. I wait. From my peripheral vision, I see a gloved hand rise and point at me. The rhythm of my hearts kept time. One. Two. Three.

BAMM!

I was forced onto the ground by the force of the blow.

"DOCTOR!"

_No Amy_,_ please stay back!_ I mentally yelled. I knew she didn't get the message, but I truly needed her to stay away. It was for her own good. I scrambled onto my feet to look like I was trying to put up a fight with my 'killer,' but I knew I couldn't even if I tried. One of my hearts had already stopped and the other was barely hanging on. A couple more strikes ought to do it.

BAMM! Seconds had passed before I was hit again.

"NO AMY! STAY BACK! YOU HAVE TO STAY BACK!" I fell back to the sand and felt a strange feeling over my chest. I felt as if my chest exploded open and intense pain roared through my body. As quickly as it appeared though, the pain was taken away and a sudden warm feeling took its place. My body always died before the regeneration, yet my soul allowed me to stay alive so I could change. Normally my hearts would have started back up and I would have to figure out a new body. The body was disposable; a soul however, is not. I gazed at my now glowing hands and felt the warmth stretch all over my body.

My eyes wandered up and I looked at the faces of my broken companions. If my hearts hadn't already stopped, they would have burst at the sight set before me. Amy looked absolutely destroyed. She stared at me with crushed and petrified eyes while Rory and River struggled to hold her back. Rory was gripping his wife tightly with a confused but very worried look on his face. On Amy's other side stood a completely broken River Song, looking down on me. Her eyes were filled with pain and sorrow and I wished it didn't have to be this way.

"I'm sorry." I whispered as my vision was engulfed in a gold color. I lifted my arms as if I was going to embrace the change that I knew would never come. I tilted my head back and took my last breath.

BAMM!

The world went mute. As my vision slowly went black, I had one last thought. _I'm so sorry for this. I know you must be screaming for me now. Just know this… I'll be at peace now. I've just saved your world for about the billionth time now. I know you must be screaming for me now, but you're safe now. And I can't hear your screams anymore._

**_I hope you enjoyed this story! I've just recently become a fan of Doctor Who, but I've become very obsessed very quickly! I'm thinking about adding another chapter about the Doctor's return from Amy's POV. Please tell me your thoughts in reviews! Reviews are an author's candy! _**

**_Serethiel __  
><em>**


	2. Silence Is All You Know

**_Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Doctor Who. Maybe in some crazy parallel universe but not in this universe. I do own a brain which came in very handy with this story! I don't own the song below either... it is property of Chris Daughtry... Lucky...  
><em>**

**_Author's Note: I've decided I'm going to make this four chapters! Yay! So to put this in a nutshell, this chapter is Amy's thoughts as she watches the Doctor die. It's very sad story, but a plot bunny has been jumping around and causing havoc in my mind. This is the only way to stop it. Anyways, I hope you like this next chapter!_**

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><p><em>For the first time you can open your eyes<em>

_And see the world without your sorrow_

_No one knows the pain you left behind_

_All the peace you could never find_

_I waiting there to hold and keep you_

_Welcome to the first day of your life_

_Just open up your eyes_

_~Chris Daughty- Open Up Your Eyes_

"I'm sorry." I barely heard these last words. I stared at the Doctor while my heart was pounding against my chest. Both River and Rory had the death grip on my arms and I'm sure they could feel my pulse through my skin. How could they just stand there while our best friend was dying in front of our eyes? From where I was standing, I could still see the immense pain that flooded the Doctor's eyes and it caused my heart to crack in two.

I had heard him talk about regeneration plenty of times, but I never thought I would be around to see him actually change. I prayed I'd never be around to watch him change. He was _my _Doctor, _my _Raggedy Doctor, _my best friend._ He couldn't leave me… He wouldn't leave us without him. I watched helplessly as an orange-golden glow spread across his face, completely blocking his expression from our view. The Doctor tilted his head back and spread his arms as if he was embracing the universe. _This is it… please let it be painless for his sake._ I should have known nothing was ever simple, especially with the Doctor. One minute everything's absolutely fantastic and then the next minute, the universe reminds you who's in charge.

This will make four. This day will be remembered by me, as the fourth time the Doctor left me. Each moment plays out like a movie in my head. His last words from each time are so familiar to me.

_**One**_- _"Five minutes! Give me five minutes and I'll be right back!"_

"_People always say that."_

"_Am I people? Do I even look like people? Trust me, I'm the Doctor."_

_**Two**_- _"Hello. I'm the Doctor. Basically… Run."_

_**Three**_- _"You won't need your imaginary friend anymore. Ha… Amy Pond; growing over me eh? Well guess what?"_

"_What?"_

"_Gotcha."_

_**Four**_- _"I'm sorry,"_

Only this time, he'll return with a new face. He won't be _my Doctor. _

Sometimes I think that the universe enjoys watching me suffer. She laughs at my expense and my suffering. I bet she laughed hardest when Rory slipped from my grasp and died right in front of me. The worst part was that I couldn't even remember him. I couldn't remember my own fiancé until he shot me with his hand/gun.

My breath caught in my throat as I saw the Astronaut raise its hand again. This is when I realized he wouldn't come back to us with a new face. He was about to die with the same face. It was too late when I realized it was going for the death blow. I couldn't scream, I couldn't yell; all my breath was gone from my throat.

It all passed so quickly. A green flash hit the Doctor and he plummeted to the ground.

"NO DOCTOR!" River screamed out to him. All three of us raced to his broken form that laid there on the sand.

"DOCTOR, PLEASE!" When I finally found my voice, it begged for him. This can't be right! He can't be… my mind wouldn't even mutter the words. _The Doctor can't die… He can't, he can't!" _I fell to my knees about a foot from his body and crawled to his side, sobbing hysterically. I grasped his face in my hands looking for any signs he was still with us. Rory crouched in front of me, looking down at our fallen friend. River was beside me, scanning the Doctor's body with some kind of handheld machine. "River!" I cried. Seconds passed before he machine had results. I was nearly sick when it made the sound of a dead heart monitor. Looking at River's suddenly pale face, I knew the truth. My heart completely dropped out of my chest. Please, oh God please no. I shook my head and tears fell like waterfalls down my face. "…No... Oh…" I whimpered and sat back, curling my knees up to my chest in the fetal position.

River stood up and pulled out her pistol. She was shaking with anger and gut wrenching sadness. She cocked it back and fired at the Doctor's killer.

_Click. Shoot. Miss._

_Click. Shoot. Miss._

_Click. Shoot. Miss._

_Click. Shoot. Miss._

_Click. Shoot. Miss._

The gun made a sickening click, signaling River that it was out of bullets. I remembered back to when the Doctor was still alive. His voice was so clear in my head.

"_It's a Stetson. I wear a Stetson now; Stetsons are cool." _River used a bullet to shoot that stupid hat off his head. She wasted a bullet could have been used to kill the Doctor's murderer. That bullet might have even saved his life!

"_Stupid hat, stupid hat, STUPID HAT!" _I mentally screamed. First it was a Fez and now this!

I was blubbering like a child next to the Doctor's limp form. He loved his stupid accessories. He thought absolutely everything was just the coolest thing in the world. He had always loved to remind us of his thoughts on such things; it was always, _"Bowties are cool," _or, _"It's a fez. I wear a fez now; fezzes are cool." _Never again would I have to listen to him and his continuous rants, but at that moment I would have killed to hear him blabber on about bowties one last time.

"Of course not," River murmured to no one. She turned back to us with tears in her eyes.

"River he can't be dead," I wept, "it's not possible." My body shook from my tears as I stared at my best friend. My _dead _best friend.

River inhaled shakily but proceeded to give us an explanation. "Whatever that was, it killed him in the middle of his regeneration cycle. His body was already dead." She paused before continuing. "He didn't make it to the next one."

I sniffled as more tears made a path down my cheeks. "Maybe he's a clone or a duplicate or somethin'," I cried, trying to convince myself as well as Rory and River. We all knew that wasn't the case. We all knew it was a fool's hope. But if the Doctor had taught us anything, it was that there was always hope. Sometimes the world comes crashing down on you and you feel destroyed right then and there. The Doctor taught me hope. But there's no hope now. He's gone forever. I couldn't look any longer. I buried my head in my knees and sobbed for my loss.

A voice behind me confirmed my darkest thoughts. "Believe I can save you some time." I raised my head and sobbed into the back my hand. "That most certainly is the Doctor. And he is most certainly is dead." River gazed down lovingly but tragically at the Doctor. "He said," continued the elderly man behind me, "you'd need this." He placed a can of liquid down near the Doctor's feet. The feet that would never run again. I looked at the can and wept even harder because I knew what it meant.

"Gasoline," my husband muttered. The Doctor wanted us to burn him. He wanted us to have a funeral pyre and burn his body. But why!

For once, River gave me a straight answer. She exhaled knowingly and sniffled. "A Time Lord's body is a miracle, even a dead one. There are whole empire's out there that would rip this world apart for just one cell." River stood to her feet. "We can't leave him here… or anywhere."

I rocked to my knees and came closer to my Raggedy Doctor. Taking his limp face in my hands, I whispered to him. His floppy hair barely moved with my touch. "Wake up. Come on, WAKE UP, you stupid bloody idiot!" I bawled. I half expected his eyes to shoot open and for him to whisper that one word that would make everything better. There was one word that would make me feel secure now, and it was not coming. I wanted him to say 'gotcha,' so badly that it hurt.

I laid my head on his nonmoving chest. There should be four thumps coming from his chest. They should be in perfect rhythm, a routine even. All that was left was an echo of what once was. "What do we do Rory?" I asked my husband as he watched me mourn.

"We're his friends. We do what the Doctor's friends always do," River answered. She knelt down and I heard the swish of gasoline in the tank she picked up. "As we're told." Her voice was full of emotion as she surveyed the beach.

"There's a boat." Rory observed. My eyes were squeezed shut and I held on to my Doctor's body for dear life. I wasn't planning on letting go very quickly. "If we're gonna do this," Rory went on, "let's do it properly."

Three pairs of eyes were on me. I didn't care though. When I opened my eyes, they became fixed on the still face of the Doctor. He just looked like he was sleeping; he looked so peaceful. I gently moved his bangs from out in front of his face. A few of my tears fell on his face and I gingerly wiped them away.

I placed my hand where his hearts should have been beating. _"Abigail was right,"_ I thought to myself. _"When you're alone, silence really is all you know."_

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><p><strong><em><span>I know, I know it's utterly depressing... CURSE YOU PLOT BUNNY! I'd like to take this moment and thank everyone who has added my story to their favorites and special shout-outs go RosalieHale1997 and eisa for reviewing! You guys rock! Please take some time to review and tell me what you guys think I should do. Or just shoot me a message and tell me your thoughts! Thanks for reading the second installment of I Can't Hear Your Screams Anymore!<span>_**

**_Serethiel  
><em>**


	3. Carry Me Down

_**I'm BAAAAAAACK! Okay so in this chapter, I'm adding stuff that's entirely my own. There seemed to be a rather large gap between the Doctor's death and the Burning. I put quite a lot of angst in this chapter… I cried while I was writing. I kinda jump from POV to POV so if it's a little difficult to keep up, I apologize. The first two chapters were written in first person so I decided to change it up and write in third this time. I can't wait until the season finale next week! The tension these past few weeks has been unbelievable! *Shakes fist* MOFFAT! This is the final chapter of I Can't Hear Your Screams Anymore. Thank you to everyone who has commented/added to favorites/ followed this story! I'm so glad you liked it! It was great to write and I hope you enjoyed it! All good things must come to an end, though. *Cough SeasonFinale Cough.* Read on dearies! **_

_**Special thanks to my awesome Beta, Vesper's Lullaby (Formally Lil Miss Chris! ) Spider Monkey loves you! And yes… Lupin went a little crazy on this one. Gerald is not a very good influence on him.**_

No one moved for the longest time. The only sound to be heard was Amy's muffled sobs that were pressed against the Doctor's tweed jacket.

The old man stood quietly off to the side, watching the companions mourn their fallen friend. He observed them, scanning over their faces with his eyes. Rory stood close to his wife with silent tears falling down his face. His hands were placed awkwardly by his sides and his eyes were actually closed. The tears stuck to the lashes like rain would stick to a leaf.

River gripped the can of gasoline in her hands; her lips were pursed together tightly, trying to stop the sobs rising from her chest. After all… River was the one who killed the Doctor in the first place. Now here she was, her hearts breaking over the death that she caused.

The pure irony of it all was astronomical.

With a sniff, Amy sat up from her position on the sand and wiped her red and blotchy eyes. The coat of mascara she wore now streaked down her cheeks. Her whole body was shaking from shock and the force of her crying. She took one of her hands and ran it across the Doctor's cheek, gently caressing his now cold and pale face.

"_Please,"_ she wept, "_please get up!" _

Nothing. After all, no matter how hard you try, it's impossible to get a dead man to talk.

Rory was the first to move. Very slowly, he stepped towards his grieving wife and knelt down to her side. "Amy," he whispered softly. She responded by turning to him and burying her head into her husbands shoulder. Rory gently wrapped his arms around her and let her sob, rubbing circles on her back as she wept. Amy clung tightly to Rory's shirt, as if she was afraid he would vanish on her. He gently kissed the top of her lightened ginger head and whispered calming words into her ear.

River watched her parents' display for afar, the can of gasoline growing heavier with every second. She felt a dark veil of grief pass over her body as Amy and Rory sat near the Doc- no… the body of the Doctor. The Doctor was no more. A shell of a man was left in the place where the greatest person who ever lived should have been. River felt her hearts turn to dust in her chest. Rory looked up from his wife and met River's gaze. She suddenly found the sandy surface of the ground very interesting.

"River?"

She barely raised her head in acknowledgement.

"Give me the gasoline."

Amy's head shot up from its place on her husband's shoulder. "What?" she feebly whispered. "No, Rory you can't! We can't burn him!"

"You heard what River said. Aliens would rip the Earth apart to get a hold of the Doctor's corpse. We can't allow them the chance to do that."

The distraught woman turned to River. "Tell me there's another way!" she desperately pleaded. There's got to be something else we can do! We can't just-"

"Amy I'm sorry," her daughter cut in with a small shake of her head. "I'm so sorry."

Rory stood, bringing Amy off the ground with him. Her face was as pale as Death himself and fresh tears flowed slowly off her cheeks and fell to the ground below. She stared at her husband as if she had never seen him before. Her eyes held the look of complete and utter betrayal in their depths.

Rory reached out a hand to take the red can from River. She looked at him with sadness, yet understanding. Amy watched silently as River passed over the container to Rory, her head following the movements of their hands at _it _was passed along.

Rory stood at his full height looking at Amelia. He looked at her broken face and felt his heart begin to crack. Without a word, he turned from her and looked down at the broken body before them.

Amy deliberately kept her gaze away from her dead best friend and instead, found the older man standing near the group. His eyes were fixed on the moon shining above them but he sensed Amy's gaze on him. He lowered his head to look her in the eye.

"I'm terribly sorry about your loss, dear," he said in a deep, baritone voice. Amy swallowed down a rising sob and nodded to the man. He gave a small smile of comfort which she couldn't find the heart to return.

Amy felt a hand on her back and she saw River from her peripheral vision. "Do you want to say good-bye, Amy?"

Amy nodded, shooting one last glance at the elderly stranger. He blinked slowly and began to walk away from the two women. Amy watched him walk towards Rory, who had begun his trek to the other side of the shore to retrieve the small boat. Daughter guided mother over to the Body to say their last good-byes. Once more, Amy knelt to the Doctor's side to stroke his face. She recoiled and pursed her lips together when she touched him; he was so cold now.

River grasped her mum's hand in her own and gave a supporting squeeze. Amy gave no response; her eyes were glued to the Corpse. She started trembling again. "You weren't supposed to die… Not now… not ever…" Amy cut off just to stare at the Corpse.

"Amy?" River looked at her distraught mum. Amy just shook her head. It was then that River noticed Amy had stopped crying. Her face was now a blank, emotionless canvas. "Oh, Amy," River whispered. Amy continued to stare at the Body.

No words were exchanged between the two. They both looked down on the dead Time Lord; both had words spinning in their brains. Words left unsaid and words regretted were pressing against the corners of their minds. A faint wind brushed Amy's red hair around her face and she made no move to brush them away.

Approaching footsteps drew Amy from her trance and she looked to see her husband and the stranger working together to carry the small boat towards the Doctor's body. They gently set it on the sand beside the Body. Rory straightened himself up and looked at his wife. Amy slowly bent over the Doctor's body and placed a small kiss on his forehead. She then stood up and walked to Rory. He opened his arms wide and she fell into them, hugging him for all he was worth.

River was the only one on the ground now. She sat with her hand wrapped around the Doctor's and silent tears overflowing from her eyes. She leaned over the Doctor's form and gently kissed his lips. From something so simple it was almost unreal how much love seemed to radiate from River as she pressed her warm lips against his freezing ones. She pulled away slowly and went to stand next to her parents; a black hole replaced her hearts now, and was sucking in all her emotions.

It was then that Rory pulled away from his sobbing wife. He walked over to the man he now thought of as his best friend, and prepared to burn him. Being very careful, Rory bent to pick the Time Lord up off his resting place on the ground. He hoisted the shell of the Doctor and walked back to where the small boat lay waiting. Carefully, Rory Williams placed the body of the Doctor into the small boat.

The only thing that was missing now was the gasoline. It was lying sideways on the ground, forgotten by all of the companions. Rory retrieved the canteen and opened the lid.

"Rory." Amy gazed at him with her tearstained eyes. "Please," she whispered. Rory thought she was about to beg him not to pour the gas on their deceased friend, but what she said instead shocked them all. "Let me." Amy's hand was outstretched and reaching for the red container. Wordlessly, Rory handed the canister over to her; her fingers wrapped around the handle and she pulled it from his grasp. Amy never removed her eyes from her husband's as she took it. Her hand trembled uncontrollably, gaining her a pitied look from Rory. Amy's blank mask fell and the weeping started once more. Rory was immediately by her side, arms around her, comforting her.

"Shhhhh, I'm here. I'm here, Amy," he whispered.

Amy pulled away and looked into her husband's eyes. "Help me."

Rory nodded and placed his hand over Amy's. "Together."

And together, they poured the liquid death on their best friend. The gasoline dripped down his chin and dampened his thick hair, flattening it to his forehead. His suit was plastered to his corpse and the fluid was collecting at the bottom of the boat. Amy's tears were rapidly intermingling with the gasoline.

After what seemed like an eternity, the canteen emptied. Amy tossed it to the side like it was the deadliest illness in the world. River slowly approached her mum and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while Amy buried her head in Rory's chest. The rapidly falling sun cast a dark shadow over the three companions while they mourned silently.

Movement from the corner of his eye caused Rory to lift his head. The stranger stood off to the side fumbling with something in his hand. He opened his palm face up to reveal a blue lighter. A TARDIS blue lighter. Rory held out his palm towards him. The elder man looked up from his lighter and faced Rory, a look of pity colored his eyes. Silently, he handed over the lighter. River found herself unable to watch the exchange and Amy couldn't pull her eyes away from Rory's palm.

Rory moved out of Amy's embrace and held her at arms length. He stared into her tear stained eyes and wiped away a few stray tears with his thumb. "Ready?" he gently asked. Amy squeezed her eyes closed and nodded.

Rory allowed his arms to fall back to his side and he walked over to the floating coffin. He slipped the lighter into the pocket of his pants and moved to carry the boat. A shadow appeared over him. Rory looked up to see the elderly man standing to his side with his hands on the underside of the boat. Amy walked over to her husband's other side and mirrored the stranger, placing her hands under the boat like he did. River stood at the end of the boat, grasping the sides.

"One," Amy whispered.

"Two," River counted.

"Three," Rory said. On 'three' the team lifted the boat that held the dead Time Lord. The sand made soft crunching noises as four pair of feet carried the casket boat out to the water. The cold lake water licked at their legs and feet as if asking them to think about what they were doing.

Once the group was out far enough, they lowered and released the boat from their grip. The setting sun cast dark shadows over all of their faces. Rory took the lighter from his pocket and lit it. All eyes turned to the small flame that would ignite the fire, removing the Doctor's body from the universe. Rory walked around to Amy's side and River followed. Amy grabbed on to Rory's bicep, eyes glued to the light. The stranger had walked back to the shore and was turned away, studying his surroundings.

Rory extended the lighter. The Doctor's tweed jacket caught fire. Amy wailed. River sobbed. Rory stood in silence. The flames grew quickly, engulfing the Corpse with every second. Amelia pulled away from her husband and began to trudge back to shore, unable to watch her best friend burn.

Rory felt a short tug on his arm and looked to see a shattered River looking at him sadly. She jerked her head towards the shore in a 'come on,' motion. The pair trudged out of the water, heavy hearts weighing them down with every step they took. River reached the shore before Rory. With small hesitation, Rory turned and looked at the floating pyre. His body was trembling with cold yet he couldn't get out of the water. Not yet.

Amy stood alone, watching the flames consume the Doctor. Her heart was numb and her head was swimming. Realization took over. _'He's dead.'_

Rory finally trudged out of the lake and towards Amy. He stood in front of a hurting woman, only a shell of who she should be. Her eyes which were normally full of life and excitement were dull and red. She shifted her gaze to Rory. _'I'm sorry,' _his eyes read. '_I'm so sorry.' _

River's voice came from behind them. "Who are you? Why did you come?" The couple turned to see River addressing the elderly man who brought the gasoline.

"Same reason as you," he replied.

'_And why was that!' _Amy wanted to scream. _'To watch a man who's saved your arse time and time again, go to his death!' _Her heart nearly stopped when he pulled out the blue envelope and handed it to River. She took out her own and held it up beside the man's.

"Doctor Song. Amy. Rory," he addressed them. A look of confusion and misunderstanding masked Amy's face. "I'm Canton Everett Delaware, III. I won't be seeing you again. But… you'll be seeing me." Without another word, Canton placed his baseball cap on his head, nodded to River, picked up the gas can that Amy had thrown, and walked back to his truck.

River whirled around to face her parents. Her expression had changed from a sad mourning look, to one of alarm and shock. "Four."

"Sorry, what?" Rory asked.

"The Doctor… numbered the envelopes." River's eyes were wide with realization. "He _knew. _Oh that slick-"

"What do you mean he knew, River? What did he know? That he was going to die? Is that why he told us not to interfere?" Amy wore a look of pure torment on her face as she rattled off the questions.

River nodded. "Now," she said in a shaking voice, "we have to find out _why._" **'**_**Why did he let me kill him so easily? Why didn't he try to fight me!' **_

"Come on," Rory said to the two women. "Let's go back to that restaurant. We'll finish talking there."

River nodded while Amy stood as still as a Weeping Angel. Rory put his hand on the small of her back, leading her up the sandy hill. Amy's eyes were downcast the entire time they trudged up the hill after River.

No one dared to say a word as they all walked side by side back to the restaurant. River was inaudibly mumbling under her breath and no matter how hard Rory tried to understand, he couldn't decipher what she was saying.

"What is it that you were saying about the envelopes, River? They were numbered right?"

River opened the door. "You got three, I was two, Mr. Delaware was four."

"So?"

"So, where's one?"

"What, you think he invited someone else?" Rory asked.

"Well he must have. He planned all of this to the last detail."

"Will you two shut up, it doesn't matter," Amy spoke. She was leaning against a red seat and staring down at the floor, feeling her heart break off bit by bit.

"He was up to something," stated River.

"He's dead."

"Space, 1969. What did he mean?"

Amy jerked her head up. "You're still talking, but it doesn't matter!"

"Hey, it mattered to him," Rory said, walking over to his wife.

"So it matters to us," River finished.

"He's _**dead**_," Amy whispered brokenly.

"But he still needs us. I know… Amy, _**I know**_. But right now we have to focus." The oblivious mother and knowing daughter looked the other straight in the eye in a silent battle. They both neglected to see Rory tense up.

"Look." They all turned to see an open TARDIS blue envelope laying on a table just a few metres away. River ran over to where it sat while Rory addressed the dark skinned man at the back counter.

"Excuse me, who was sitting over there?"

"Some guy," he answered.

'_**Thanks! That clears it up a lot!' **_ Rory sarcastically thought.

"The Doctor knew he was going to his death. So he sent out messages," River stated. "When you know it's the end, who do you call?"

"Uh, you're friends, people you trust," Rory rattled off.

"Number one." River held up the envelope. "Who did the Doctor trust the most?"

While the three were left to ponder the thought, the squeaking of a door captured Amy's attention. She looked up…

And found herself unable to breathe. Rory's eyes widened to about the size of buttons and his mouth fell open. River observed her parents' reaction to the newcomer and turned to look herself. Her hearts stopped.

His hair was combed into the same floppy fashion as usual and he was wearing his bowtie as proud as ever. The tweed jacket he wore looked almost new and he still bore the maniac grin on his face. He was chewing on a straw, of all things and looking like everything was perfectly normal!

"This is cold. Even by your standards this is cold," River said with an icy voice as she gazed upon the dead man walking.

"Or hello as people used to say," the Doctor responded, taking the straw from his mouth.

"Doctor?" Amy whimpered while she was mentally praying this wasn't an illusion.

"Jus' popped to get my special straw. It adds more fizz," he childishly stated.

Amy walked over to her best friend. On shaky legs she circled him, touching his bowtie to make sure he was tangible. "You're okay. How can you be okay?" she said with tears threatening to make their appearance known.

"Hey, of course I'm okay," the Doctor whispered, wrapping Amy into a warm and comforting hug. His smile fell into a confused and comforting look. "I'm always okay, I'm the King of Ok… Oh that's a rubbish title. Forget that title, RORY the Roman, that's a good title!" he exclaimed as he pulled away from Amy to hug her husband. "Hello, Rory!" Rory just patted the Doctor's back awkwardly and looked to River for an explanation. She had none.

The Doctor released Rory and turned to River. "And Doctor River Song… Oh you bad, bad girl. What trouble have you got for me this time?"

River's answer was a swift and hard smack across the Time Lord's face. His head twisted around on impact of River's palm and the shocked look on his face was priceless. "Oookayyyy," he whispered turning back to her. River's face was furious. "I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet."

"Yes it is."

"Good, looking forward to it."

"I don't understand," Rory exclaimed. The Doctor turned to face him and Rory poked him in the chest. "How can you be here?"

"I was invited," the Doctor said, taking the blue envelope from River. "Date, map reference. Same as you lot, I assume. Otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence."

"River, what's going on?" Amy asked while she stared at the Doctor.

"Amy, ask him what age he is."

"That's a bit personal," the Doctor mumbled, sticking his straw back into his mouth.

"Tell her! Tell her what age you are!"

"909."

"Yeah but you said you were -" Amy began but was cut off by River.

"Where does that leave us, eh? Jim the Fish? Have we done Jim the Fish yet?" she asked frantically.

"Who's Jim the Fish?"

Amy looked at the Doctor in astonishment. "I don't understand."

"Yeah you do," Rory said to Amy.

"I don't! What are we all doing here?" The Doctor asked his companions. They all looked at each other, waiting for the right words to come.

"We've been recruited," River said. "Something to do with space, 1969. And a man called Canton Everett Delaware the Third."

The Doctor was walking away from the group, the wheels spinning in his head. "Recruited by who?"

"Someone who trusts you more than anyone else in the Universe."

The Doctor turned around. "And who's that?"

River gave a small smile that meant that she was only about to say one thing. "Spoilers."

The Doctor looked at all of his companions. The feeling that they were hiding something important crept over him; Amy's tearstained eyes proved his theory to be correct. If they didn't tell him, then so be it. But something gnawed at his hearts as he gazed upon the three faces; a sadness like no other radiated from them. The Doctor hated the feeling of being frightened, but this… this was different. He really didn't want to know what they were hiding, yet curiosity was pounding against his Time Lord brain. When the Doctor stepped out into the night with his three friends, the feeling ceased to leave. Darkness had a firm hold upon him and this time…

He wasn't getting out alive.

_**AND… END. We all know what happens next. And if you don't well… where have you been! Under a rock or something! I realized that I really like writing angst stories because they put my skills as a writer to the test. There will be more in the future! I can't believe the season finale is next week! And Merlin doesn't come back on in America until next year!... And neither does Sherlock! Oh well I guess I'll be able to get some much needed reading and writing completed. I will be making some edits to the first two chapters because I need to change some mistakes that were found. Thank you for reading my story and I hope you will check out my other ones. Reviews are much appreciated.**_


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